Jaunted

JetBlue Sedates Passengers Further

6/05/2006 at 10:05 AM
Tags: JetBlue, Airlines, Travel Tech, Travel Wi-fi (all tags)

Oh, please, could this be true? According to Wireless Report, JetBlue recently dropped $7 million for a 1-megaherz wireless license. That means that as soon as the FAA and FCC clear the way for in-flight wi-fi, JetBlue could be ready to offer it on their planes. The license is not as big as the one that AirCell purchased (3-megaherz for about $31 million) but it's an encouraging sign--AirCell probably wants the bandwidth for in-flight cell phone calls, but JetBlue may not have the space or the money to do that.

To us, this looks like a double victory for JetBlue. First, they'll be able to offer TV and wi-fi on their planes. It's almost enough to make you forget that they were one of the least on-time airlines last year (only 61% of the time, surprisingly). We also like that they many not offer passengers the opportunity to make phone calls in-flight. Once that technology is available, a quiet cabin becomes a real selling point, to us and many others, we'd bet.

TV and Internet on domestic flights, tough--can we bring our helmet that holds two beer cans for the flight, too?

[Image via Fly For Fun/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   JetBlue Wins License [Wireless Report]
·   JetBlue Coverage [Jaunted]